Mounting bracket assembly for air conditioning systems

ABSTRACT

A bracket assembly for mounting a component of an air conditioning system to a frame member of the ceiling of an area being served by the system. The bracket assembly includes a Ushaped member having first and second portions for engaging the component, and a third portion connecting the first and second portions. The bracket assembly further includes a hanger portion for engaging a first section of the frame member. An edge of the hanger portion extends a predetermined distance beneath an edge of the third portion of said U-shaped member. The respective edges define the lowest vertical surface of the U-shaped member and the lowest vertical surface of the hanger portion.

United States Patent Gutheim [54] MOUNTING BRACKET ASSEMBLY FOR AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEMS [72] Inventor:- August W. Gutheim, Chittenang [21] Appl. No.: 139,491

[4 Oct. 24, 1972 Nelsson ..52/484 X Gutheim..., ..248/214 Primary Examiner-William H. Schultz Attorney-Harry G. Martin, Jr. and .1. Raymond Curtin r57 ABSTRACT A bracket assembly for mounting a component of an air conditioning system to a frame member of the ceiling of an area being served by the system. The bracket assembly includes a U-shaped member having first and second portions for engaging the component, and a third portion connecting the first and second portions. The bracket assembly further includes a hanger portion for engaging a first section of the frame member. An edge of the hanger portion extends a predetermined distance beneath an edge of the third portion of said U-shaped' member. The respective edges define the lowest vertical surface of the U-shaped member and the lowest vertical surface of the hanger portion.

6 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures [52] US. Cl. .248/214, 248/309, 52/27, 52/484 [51] Int. Cl .....F16b 1/00 [58] Field of Search ..248/72, 228, 205 R, 214; 52/27, 39, 484

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 371,665 10/1887 Brinkerhoff ..248/214 1,219,354 3/1917 Seward ..248/214 2,655,338 10/1953 Stager ..248/311 PATENTEDnmu m2 INVENTOR. AUGUST w. GUTHEIM BY 7 ATTORNEY MOUNTING BRACKET ASSEMBLY FOR AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEMS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The air conditioning systems employing such'terminals additionally include various other components such as return air units and dummy units.

The ceilingterminals and other components of the 7 air conditioning system are generally installed so the .lower surface thereof is substantially flush with the lower surface of the false ceiling. Thus, it is apparent such terminals and components must also be suspended in some manner from the original area ceiling.

. It has become the practice to mount the components of the air conditioning system on the frame members of the false ceiling. However, such frame members are generally made of light-weight, relatively weak materials and may readily be twisted or otherwise distorted by the. load of the air conditioning system component. When the component is mounted both horizontally and axially about such frame members, the weight thereof is equally distributedamong the four frames in contact therewith, so twisting or other distortion of the frame members will not normally occur. I

However, in installations where the component is of a narrower design and is only engaged by two members,

. the heavy load imposed thereon may cause such members to twist, or in severe cases, to suffer a complete failure. A novel mounting bracket assembly for connecting the air conditioning terminals to the frame member is disclosed in co-pending application, Ser. No. 347, filed Jan. 2, I970 in the name of August William Gutheim and assigned to the same assignee as the assignee herein. The object of such mounting bracket assembly is to distribute the weight of the terminal about the strongest portion of the frame member.

The other components of the air conditioning system, such as return air units and dummy units, are not as heavy as the terminal unit. The load imposed by such other components may be adequately handled by the horizontal flange portion of the frame member.

In forming inverted T bar frame members, the end of the flange portion is beaded over to form a raised surface. It is desirable to prevent the mounting bracket assembly from being seated solely on this raised surface which would unduly stress the flange portion. Therefore, it is necessary for the mounting bracket assembly to be formed to seat not only on the raised portion, but also on at least a second portion of the flange; for example the part adjacent the upstanding portion of the frame member.

By distributing the load in this manner, the flange portion can withstand the weight of the air conditioning components.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a novel mounting bracket assembly to obtain the desired results.

SUMMARY OFTI-IE INVENTION This invention relates to a novel bracket assembly adaptable for mounting components of an air conditioning system to the frame members of a ceiling of an area being served by the system. 1

The bracket assembly includes a first U-shaped member having first and second portions for engaging the component to be mounted on the frame member. A laterally extending portion of the U-shaped member has an edge which defines the lowest vertical surface of said U-shaped member; the laterally extending portion connects the first and second portions of the U-shaped member. v

The bracket assembly further includes hanger means for engaging a portion of said frame member; an edge of said hanger means extends a predetermined distance beneath the edge of the laterally extending portion of said U-shaped member. The edge of the hanger means is seated on a flange of the frame member.

In a preferred embodiment, the hanger means. includes two hooked end portions for engaging an upstanding portion of the frame member. The hooked end portions are asymmetrically located relative to a vertical centerline through the U-shaped member. By locating the hooked end portions asymmetrically relative to the centerline, the mounting brackets may be used so two components of the air conditioning system may be mounted in axial alignment 'on the same frame member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 of the drawings is a sectional view in elevation of a portion of an air conditioning system to which the present invention relates, including the novel bracket assembly; and I FIG.'2 is a perspective view of the novel bracket assembly.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings,-and in particular to FIG. 1 thereof, there is illustrateda portion of an air conditioning system of the type to which the present invention relates. In referring to the drawings, like numerals shall refer to like parts.

The illustrated portion of air conditioning system 10 includes primary duct 11 lined with a sound absorbing material 12 such as a glass fiber blanket. The primary duct is ordinarily open at both ends for connecting a series of air conditioning terminals end to end to provide a complete air discharge system. Primary duct 11 is provided to supply conditioned air to ceiling air terminals located in rooms or areas in an enclosure. The conditioned air is treated in a central air conditioning apparatus not shown.

In addition to the ceiling air terminals, the air conditioning system 10 includes a number of other components such as dummy units and return air units. An air conditioning system including a return air unit is disclosed in co-pending application, Ser. No. 107,926, filed Jan. 20, 1971 in the names of Carl C. Herb and Darwin G. Traver. The portion of the air conditioning system illustrated in FIG. 1 discloses a return air unit of the type described in the above cited Herb-Traver copending application.

Return air unit 13 includes a first member 14 spaced from the bottom 15 of duct 11 so as to define a space 16therebetween. Side diffuser members 17 and 18 are spaced apart from member 14. Members 17 and 18 include first horizontally extending portions 27 and 28, vertically extending portions 29 and 29, and second horizontally extending portions 19 and 20. The lower surface of portions 19 and 20 are flush with the lower surface of the false ceiling (not shown). Member 21 of the return air unit projects downwardly from member 14. Members 14, 17, 18 and 21 define therebetween horizontal passages 25 and 26 and vertical passages 23 and 24. Unit 13 is suitably lined with sound absorbing material 22.

Air to be returned from the area being served to the central air conditioning apparatus is drawn through passages 23 and 24, and thence intopassages 25 and 26. The air then-flows into space 16 which defines a return air plenum and is in communication with return air ducts (not shown) which deliver the air to the central air conditioning apparatus for reconditioning.

Return air unit 13 is particularly adaptable for installation over a wall or other partition that separates two ad-' jacent areas. However, unit 13 may also be installed entirely within one area. Return air unit 13 is typical of the type of apparatus or component of an air conditioning system to which the present invention relates.

As noted hereinbefore, the various components of air conditioning system 10 are adapted for mounting to the frame members of a suspended false ceiling. However, due to their relativelynarrow construction, the components engage only two of the frame members and may cause failure of the frame members by producing undue stress thereon. In FIG. 1, the members of the mounting bracket utilized for engaging this ceiling terminal are shown by reference numeral 30 and are adapted to engage the component by sliding into the end of side diffuser members 17 and 18.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown a perspective view of the novel bracket assembly engaging one ceiling frame member. It should be understood that the ceiling frame member does not form a part of the invention and may be of any suitable configuration. However, the standard configuration for such frame membersis an inverted T, including horizontally extending In order to compensate for raised portion 39, the U- shaped member is joined to laterally extending portion of member 35 so the edge 34 defining the lowest vertical surface of portion 35' extends a predetermined distance beneath the edge defining the lowest vertical surface of portion 33. Thus, the bracket assembly is seated on the flange at two places; the laterally extending portion 35 is seated on the flange adjacent upstanding portion 32 and portions 30 of the U-shaped member are seated on raised portion 39. By thus dividing the load, the flange of the frame member is able'to withstand the force created by the weight of the component and the mounting bracket assembly.

In a preferred embodiment, hanger portions 36 and 37'are asymmetrically located relative to a vertical centerline through the U-shaped member. Thus, two bracket assemblies may be used in back-to-back' relationship on the same frame member so two .components may be mounted in axial alignment on opposed flange portions, for example, portions 31 and 31 The upstanding portion of most inverted T frame members is formed so as to have a first portion 44 and a second portion 43 vertically offset therefrom. To com pensate for such construction, the mounting bracket assembly in accordance with my invention has a first portion 41 and a second portion 42 vertically offset therefrom. The inner surface of portion 41 will be in inembodiment of my invention, it should not be limited flange portions 31 and 31 and upwardly extending portion 32.

Members 30 are connected to a laterally extending portion 33 and cooperate to define a U-shaped member. The U-shaped member is connected by suitable means, such as rivets 38, to a second member 35. Member 35 includes laterally extending portion 35' and hanger portions 36 and 37. Hanger portions 36 and 37 are adapted to be suitably mounted over the top of upstanding portion 32 of the ceiling frame member.

In forming the frame member, the horizontally extending flange portion is provided with a raised or beaded portion 39. Without suitable modifications in the mounting bracket assembly, the assembly would be seated on raised portion 39, when the assembly is placed on the frame member. This would be highly undesirable. The forces produced by the weight of the thereto, but may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the following claims:

I claim:

1, A bracket assembly for mounting a component of an air conditioning system adapted for installation in a ceiling of an area being served by the system, said ceiling having a plurality of frame members including a flange portion extending outwardly in a plane normal member connected thereto, an edge of said hanger means extending a predetermined distance beneath said edge of said third portion of said U- shaped member, said edge of said hanger means being seated on said flange portion of said frame member.

2. A bracket assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein said hanger means includes first and second hooked end sections asymmetrically positioned relative to a vertical centerline of said third portion of said U- shaped member; and a laterally extending section connecting said hooked end sections.

3. A bracket assembly in accordance with claim 2 wherein said upstanding portion of said frame member includes first and second sections vertically offset with respect to each other and connected together; and said hanger means includes first and second portions vertically offset with respect to each other, said first portion of said hanger means being in intimate contact with said first section of said frame member.

4. In combination with a ceiling construction having a plurality of frame members, the improvement which comprises a bracket assembly for mounting a component of an air conditioning system, adapted for installation in said ceiling, to said frame members comprising;

A. a U-shaped member having first and second portions for engaging said component, and a third portion connecting said first and second portions, said third portion having an edge defining the lowest vertical surface of said member; and

B. hanger means for engaging a portion of one of said frame members, a portion of said hanger means having a portion of said U-shaped member connected thereto, an edge of said hanger means extending a predetermined distance beneath said edge of said Ushaped member, said edge of said hanger means being seated on a first portion of said frame member.

5. The combination as set forth in claim 4 wherein said hanger means includes first and second hooked end sections, asymmetrically positioned relative to the vertical centerline of said third portion of said U- shaped member, and a laterally extending section connecting said hooked end portions.

6. The combination as set forth in claim 5 wherein a second portion of said frame member includes first and second sections vertically ofi'set with respect to each other; and said hanger means includes first and second portions vertically offset with respect to each other, said first portion of said hanger means being in intimate contact with said first section of said frame member.

UNKTED siATEs PATENT swat QERTEFIQATE @F @QREQTEQN Patent No. 3,7 9 Dated October 2 1972 Inventor(s) AUGUST w. GUTHEIM It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters (Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 1, line #3, after the word Gutheim insert '--and issued as United States patent 3,6O6,22 L.

Column 2, line 6 L, after the word "Traver", delete the period" and insert "and now issued as United States patent Signed and sealed this 25th day of December 1973 (SEAL) Attest: v

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. RENE D. TEGTMEYER Attesting Officer Acting Commissioner of Patents FORM PO-105O (10-69) usco -pc 0375- p69 w u.s. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1969 0-366-331, 

1. A bracket assembly for mounting a component of an air conditioning system adapted for installation in a ceiling of an area being served by the system, said ceiling having a plurality of frame members including a flange portion extending outwardly in a plane normal to the plane of an upstanding portion, said bracket assembly comprising: A. a U-shaped member having first and second portions for engaging said component, and a third portion connecting said first and second portions, said third portion having an edge defining the lowest vertical surface of said U-shaped member; and B. hanger means for engaging said upstanding portion of said frame member, a portion of said hanger means having a portion of said U-shaped member connected thereto, an edge of said hanger means extending a predetermined distance beneath said edge of said third portion of said U-shaped member, said edge of said hanger means being seated on said flange portion of said frame member.
 2. A bracket assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein said hanger means includes first and second hooked end sections asymmetrically positioned relative to a vertical centerline of said third portion of said U-shaped member; and a laterally extending section connecting said hooked end sections.
 3. A bracket assembly in accordance with claim 2 wherein said upstanding portion of said frame member includes first and second sections vertically offset with respect to each other and connected together; and said hanger means includes first and second portions vertically offset with respect to each other, said first portion of said hanger means being in intimate contact with said first section of said frame member.
 4. In combination with a ceiling construction having a plurality of frame members, the improvement which comprises a bracket assembly for mounting a component of an air conditioning system, adapted for installation in said ceiling, to said frame members comprising: A. a U-shaped member having first and second portions for engaging said component, and a third portion connecting said first and second portions, said third portion having an edge defining the lowest vertical surface of said member; and B. hanger means for engaging a portion of one of said frame members, a portion of said hanger means having a portion of said U-shaped member connected thereto, an edge of said hanger means extending a predetermined distance beneath said edge of said U-shaped member, said edge of said hanger means being seated on a first portion of said frame member.
 5. The combination as set forth in claim 4 wherein said hanger means includes first and second hooked end sections, asymmetrically positioned relative to the vertical centerline of said third portion of said U-shaped member, and a laterally extending section connecting said hooked end portions.
 6. The comBination as set forth in claim 5 wherein a second portion of said frame member includes first and second sections vertically offset with respect to each other; and said hanger means includes first and second portions vertically offset with respect to each other, said first portion of said hanger means being in intimate contact with said first section of said frame member. 